For the Win
by Beyond An Anomaly
Summary: It was but a simple game of "Truth or Dare" that the chameleon was thrust into unwillingly. Yet, he figured that no matter what the dare would be, he would persevere in the name of victory no matter the dare that awaited him...even if it was an awkward one.


_Written in support of the Kelvinania "Summer's Up!" challenge._

* * *

"Do it."

"I-I'm...just waiting..."

"C'mon, Espio! Ya scared?"

"W-What?! No! Of course not..."

Vector reclined in his seat, tapping the table with his fingers. Espio turned his head repeatedly to see that girl standing there, polishing some Extreme Gear with a focused expression. The two detectives had been at this Extreme Gear Grand Prix for hours now, and the entire race was over at that point. Espio wanted to leave, but Vector wished to stay just to see if his friend could finally crack...

The two had been playing this on-going match of "Truth or Dare", but without that boring "Truth" part. They would take turns, telling each other to do such ridiculous dares. Normally, Espio wouldn't participate in such childish fodder, yet the incessant begging from the crocodile gave Espio no choice BUT to compete in this idiotic nonsense Vector called a "game".

"Hmph," Vector teased his fellow detective. "One would think that with your 'iron will', the least you could do is talk to that girl over there and get her number!"

"Look, I'll do it, alright?" Espio groaned while hinting annoyance in his voice, as the swallow Vector was referring to began to clean the board's other side. Once she was done cleaning her team-mate's board, she'd be ready to leave like everyone else...

"You're running outta time, Espy...it's not like that girl's stayin' for a stranger like you to get her number..."

"I'll do it...eventually..."

"'Eventually' better mean 'soon'," Vector chuckled. "Unless if sitting through that long documentary on Rings paid off..."

Since he was competing in such a foolish game, Espio figured the least he could do was win. He tried his best to come up with the worst of dares for Vector...

"Vector, I dare you to stay up all night listening to Charmy's Friday Karaoke Palooza."

"I dare you to read _Iliad and The Odyssey_ and then annotate every single paragraph."

"I dare you to sit through five hours of this documentary on how Rings are made."

Espio pointed his offense at Vector's mentality, since he figured that was one of Vector's weaker aspects, thinking more with his blind self-encouragement instead of his head.

Vector, on the other hand, didn't really have a strategy...

"Espio! I dare ya to tell Cream that her voice sounds annoying!"

"I dare ya to say you have feelings towards Knuckles!"

"I dare ya to sing with Charmy in his Friday Karaoke Palooza!"

He wanted to merely embarrass him, and Vector figured that Espio getting the number of a girl neither one of them had ever met before was brilliant. He strained his ears, eyes, and hands for this; he may finally win the game...

Espio gave Vector a glare. All the chameleon wanted to do this entire time was win, and if he had to get some girl's number...well, so be it.

Espio slowly got up, walking hastily over to her. Vector watched from afar.

"Is Espio seriously gonna do this...?" he thought to himself as Espio neared the swallow.

Espio was now a foot away from her.

"Alright, Espio..." Espio said to himself. "You didn't make a rabbit cry, an echidna punch you, and sing repetitive pop songs for nothing..."

The mechanic didn't even look up, until Espio gave a barely audible, "...Hi."

She looked up, but instead of giving that awkward smile like the detective in front of her, the mechanic sneered,

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" she gestured at the nearly squeaky-clean board.

"Um...right. S-Sorry to intrude." Espio had no idea why he was shaking nervously, or why he felt mortified at all. Perhaps talking to females like this was his Kryptonite... "I'm Espio."

The swallow adjusted her glasses, rolling her eyes.

"Wave." she huffed. "Now tell me what you want or buzz off."

Espio gulped.

"Well..." he thought. "She asked, didn't she?"

He took out a wrinkled piece of paper and a pen, sighing.

"My friend and I are playing this game, and he dared me to get your number." Wave raised a brow at this. "But...can you please just write it down? It can be a fake one, even."

Wave rolled her eyes, snatched the utensils, and stated, "Turn around." to Espio. He turned his back to her as she used his back as her clipboard. After a few seconds of scribbling, she stopped.

"Here." Wave said.

Espio stared down at and took the slip. Right before he could ask why the swallow actually took all this well...

"I'm used to stupid rivalry." Wave thought about the two immature blockheads waiting for her back home. She then turned her back. "Now beat it."

Espio nodded and ran back to the table. He held up the slip triumphantly as Vector's mouth hung open. The chameleon smiled.

Maybe this "childish" rivalry wasn't so bad...

"Okay, my turn." Espio chuckled evilly as Vector cringed. "I dare you...to read the romance FanFics about us."

Thus, Espio became the "Dare" champion of Team Chaotix, and from that day forward, Espio remembered the sweetness of victory against an old friend.


End file.
